Week 12 of the College Football season means another round of Big 12 Matchups. The following lists all matchups in the conference and predictions (excluding Baylor @ West Virginia).
Houston @ Arizona
A late night start on Friday for folks on the East Coast, this one will kick off on FS1 at 10:15 p.m.Two teams near the bottom of the Big 12 standings, meaning someone is going to have to win. Houston comes in at 4-5, a game below .500, but have two nice wins in their last two prior matchups beating Utah and No.17 ranked at the time, Kansas State. They have three losses in conference, so trying to play to get into the Big 12 championship is most likely out of reach, but a turnaround at the end of the year, finding themselves in a bowl game would be a nice step after only winning four games last year. For the Wildcats, they started off the year ranked in the Top 25, and with hopes of a great season after starting 2-0. It has all been downhill since, losing six out of their last seven. They have one sole win in conference play, and would have to win out to become bowl eligible. I believe this Houston team has found somewhat of a stride and is playing for a little bit more.
Prediction: Houston wins 31-17
Utah @ #17 Colorado
One of the bigger matchups in the conference this week lies here. Colorado sits in second place in the Big 12 standings with their only conference loss against Kansas State, they have since ran the table. Utah has had a rough stretch, losing five straight after starting the year undefeated 4-0, but something to point out about all their losses is how tightly battled a majority of them were. They certainly aren’t the team they expected to be being ranked top 15 in the nation until week six, but they can still put up a fight in these games despite the 4-5 record. They lost to conference leader and No.7 ranked BYU by a point last week. I still believe that Colorado is the overall better football team, and with now a clear path to be able to get into the Big 12 championship and potentially even the College Football Playoff, the star power will outweigh the fight from the Utes.Â
Prediction: Colorado wins 40-28
Arizona State @ No.19 Kansas State
It was practically all smooth sailing for the Wildcats before a monstrous loss on the road last weekend versus Houston. They would have been tied for second place with Colorado with a win and the head-to-head tiebreaker, but they have now put them in a spot with a lot more things needing to go their way, now having two losses in conference. Arizona State has slid themselves into contention as well. They are 7-2 overall and 4-2 in conference. This one will have a lot of potential conference implications and I think the atmosphere will be a fun one.
Prediction: Kansas State wins 28-23
Cincinnati @ Iowa State
The Cyclones had one of their best starts in the team’s history but have dropped the last two and are now 7-2 (4-2). Cincinnati is coming off back-to-back losses against Colorado and West Virginia. They sit at 5-4, a win away from bowl eligibility and 3-3 in Big 12 play. Iowa State needs to bounce back at home if it wants to have any shot of playing down in Arlington come Big 12 Championship game time.Â
Prediction: Iowa State wins 31-17
Kansas @ #7 BYU
The Cougars need to stay out of trouble here and take care of business against a struggling Kansas team. BYU is undefeated and sparing no hiccups in their last three, and they have a very good shot at being the team representing the Big 12 in the CFP. They have three winnable games ahead of them, but their toughest matchup is most likely being on the road next week versus Arizona State. Kansas has disappointed this season but got their biggest win of the season last week, playing spoiler against Iowa State. They would love to repeat that story this week.Â
Prediction: BYU wins 28-20
